Pay Attention to your Circulation

Only one organ that gives life to every system in the body. Only one organ that gives life to every
people. Only one organ that serves its purpose not only as a pump but also an emotional tool. The
cardiac muscle or simply, the heart, a magnificent organ from which springs the river of life, is indeed
vital yet there are people who are readily exposed to unhealthy living who cannot outweigh the
possibility of having heart problems be it physiological or emotional, but its never too late to keep the
heart healthy and live better lives.
The defining characteristic of the human heart is its tireless beating, a constant rhythmic contraction to
life that serves the all-important purpose of circulating blood through our bodies. The heart is the key
organ in the circulatory system. The circulatory system is composed primarily of the heart, blood, and
the blood vessels. The blood vessels include the arteries, veins, and capillaries. Your bodies actually
have two circulatory systems: The pulmonary circulation is a short loop from the heart to the lungs and
back again, and the systemic circulation which sends blood from the heart to all the other parts of your
bodies and back again. The heart, as a hollow, muscular pump, its main function is to propel blood
throughout the body. Oxygenated blood from the lungs flows into your heart and is then pumped out to
the rest of your body. Once the blood has delivered the oxygen to the tissues of the body, it returns to
your heart and gets pumped back out to the lungs where it will be re-oxygenated. It usually beats from
60 to 100 times per minute, but can go much faster when necessary. It beats about 100,000 times a day,
more than 30 million times per year, and about 2.5 billion times in a 70-year lifetime. The heart gets
messages from the body that tells it when to pump more or less blood depending on an individual's
needs. When you're sleeping, it pumps just enough to provide for the lower amounts of oxygen needed
by our bodies at rest. When you're exercising or frightened, the heart pumps faster to increase the
delivery of oxygen. Aside from pumping blood, the heart and the circulatory system works closely with
other systems in your bodies. It supplies oxygen and nutrients to your bodies by working with the
respiratory system. At the same time, the circulatory system helps carry waste and carbon dioxide out of
the body. That just shows how vital heart is to peoples lives.
Due to unhealthy living and some forms of self-abuse, the very wonderful organ and even its whole
system can be impaired. Talking about heart problems, there are Heart Attack, Stroke, Rheumatic Heart
Disease and others. What causes them, anyway? High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) increases the risk
of heart disease, heart attack and stroke. Another major cause of heart diseases is High Blood
Cholesterol. Extra weight is thought to lead to increased total cholesterol levels, high blood pressure,
and an increased risk of coronary artery disease. Obesity increases your chances of developing other risk
factors for heart disease, especially high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and diabetes. And aside
from those, most people know that cigarette and tobacco smoking increases the risk of lung cancer, but
fewer realize that it also greatly increases the risk of heart disease and peripheral vascular disease
(disease in the vessels that supply blood to the arms and legs). Research has shown that smoking
increases heart rate, tightens major arteries, and can create irregularities in the timing of heartbeats, all
of which makes the heart work harder. Some symptoms of heart diseases are Chest Pain or Chest
Discomfort, Heart Palpitations, Lightheadedness or Dizziness, Syncope, Fatigue, Lethargy, Daytime
Sleepiness, and shortness of breath. Chest pain equals heart pain. Palpitations on the other hand, are
unusual awareness of the heartbeat which is an extremely common system. Syncope is a sudden and
temporary loss of consciousness, or fainting. Episodes of lightheadedness or dizziness can have many
causes, including anemia (low blood count) and other blood disorders. Fatigue, Lethargy or Somnolence
(daytime sleepiness) are also very common symptoms of heart diseases. And, shortness of breath is
most often a symptom of cardiac or pulmonary (lung) disorders. Heart disease is an umbrella term for a
number of disorders that affect the heart and its blood vessels. While there are many different
conditions, each type of heart disease shares one trait: They ultimately hinder the organ's life-giving
pumping ability.
While you are familiar with the problems or diseases that cause the physical impairment of the heart,
you should not forget that the heart is not limited to being an essential organ that pumps blood all over
the body, but it also serves as an emotional tool which symbolizes love and reason. Well of course, not
everybody is happy and contented with the current romantic relationships they have, or some are just
not given the chance to even have a partner, which leads to a broken heart, hurt, or bitterness. This
also leads to hopelessness, which results into emotional pain. Emotional pain can be described
as heartache that results from a painful experience. Generally, people feel emotional pain when they
do not get what they want, need, or expect. In such cases, they have not received the behavior or
outcomes they expected or believed they deserved. Many people experience emotional trauma during
their childhood due to a variety of factors such as neglect, abuse, abandonment, or loss of
parent. Emotional pain during adulthood may occur due to the end of a relationship, divorce, loss of a
loved one, being a victim of crime, drug abuse, or loss of employment. As a result, an individual may
fall into depression. They may find themselves plagued with feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness.
Some hide their pain or avoid facing their emotional trauma by resorting to self destructive behavior
such as alcohol or dug abuse, aggression, repression or denial. Although it may seem like a coping
mechanism, these actions are usually a cry for help and for a proper way of coping.
There is still hope amidst these heart failures and diseases. Remember, prevention is always better than
cure. One can still make an alteration in lifestyle and also change of diet so that the odds of heart
disease are significantly reduced. One must control obesity even in children and also make a
determined attempt to take proper diet that contains enough nutrition. One of the better
nutritional supplements you may want to try for heart disease prevention is mangosteen
puree that is rich in antioxidants which aid in destroying free radicals that are the reason
behind damage to cells and which in turn will result in heart disease. Good heart disease
prevention may also mean controlling the blood pressure and having low cholesterol levels.
he best way to attain these goals is by making appropriate changes to diet and even by
taking medications if so recommended by the doctor. Clearly, having low blood sugar levels
will consider as heart disease prevention. But nothing beats the power of regular exercise
because it is a well known fact that regular exercise can reduce the risks of heart disease.
However, if you already have a serious heart disease, This includes medical treatment,
which will usually be started straight away, even before an exact diagnosis of a heart
problem is made. This medical treatment may comprise of oxygen from a tube in the nose,
oxygen through a face mask, nitroglycerin under the tongue, pain medicines, and aspirin.
There are also clot dissolving medications which are often given, and the earlier these drugs
are given, the higher the chances of opening the blocked artery and defending the cardiac
muscle from further injury. Surgery can be executed on those who experience heart disease
at any age although other methods are preferable. Surgery is necessary for those who do
not react to their medications or whose condition worsens radically. In some situations,
surgery is the only method to amend the problem and give the patient a probability of good
health.
The heart is an astoundinglyfaithful creation of nature. Aristotle himself considered it the
organ of vitality,and still today the heart is emblematic of the human soul. You only have
one life to live and a single heart to keep, treasure it as a gift and take responsibility on the
life you have yet to own. Keep in mind lifes unpredictability, cherish it and always take care
of yourself.